Ah sorry I’m so late to the game, but I agree with your impressions on the Starfield (SF). I didn’t think the violin (especially the upper registers) sounded very natural. My reference is Hifiman Sundara, which is a planar open-back.
I’ve tip and cable-rolled, and the best combo I got was from using reverse KZ starline tips and a SPC cable. The r-starlines bring out more bass and enlarge the soundstage IMO, so they made the SF sound more like Aria but with better detail.
Sadly, even with these mods, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the SF, and am selling them to buy a YanYin Aladdin, which has been compared to the Mangird Tea but with better bass. I didn’t know that a single DD driver gives the most natural timbre, so I’ll let you know what I think of the Aladdin (hybrid) once I get it.
Also, really appreciate the music reccs! Hilary Hahn is fantastic. Heard her live, and her technicality is astounding. Interestingly, I find live violin to be tad too screechy, but I might be upper treble sensitive. Or I’m biased since I’m a cellist (not professionally).
I didn’t much like the Starfields either, I sent mine back to amazon after a weekend with them. You might try the new Tripowin Mele, I’ve been enjoying my classical library very much with them. Your mileage may vary though, I mostly listen to late 19th and early 20th century opera, orchestral, and piano repertoire (Verdi, Wagner, Brahms, Mahler, Prokofiev, Chopin).
I don’t have Hahn’s solo sonatas and partitas but I did spin some of Kremer’s recording, I thought some of the higher pitches sounded a little thinner than on my HD6xx but not shrill or unpleasant at all, very enjoyable and musical. The playback was plenty good enough at any rate that I kept not turning off Kremer’s Chaconne even though I was planning on just sampling it, I forgot how great he plays it.
I keep finding myself doing that with these Mele’s. Compulsively listenable. I go to sample part of a track and lose myself and keep listening. Feels like that must be as good an indication of the quality of the gear as anything else.
Wow interesting, I also have the Mele! I agree that they are a very easy listen. I particularly enjoy pieces with cellos, double basses, classical guitars, male chorus, and tympani.
Unfortunately, I don’t think they are very good for complex orchestral music, especially violin and piano concertos, and that’s largely due to its technical shortcomings. Of course, I can’t complain for 50 USD! I guess more expensive single DD should be technically more competent, but I personally don’t own any.
Your mileage may vary but I enjoy them very much listening to the busiest and most complex orchestral music I listen to, like Prokofiev and Rachmaninov piano concertos. Less clarity than the HD6xx’s, but much more impactful and musical and therefore, to my ears, better and more enjoyable.
That said, I don’t really have many IEMs to compare them to. They’re better than the Blon BL03, much better than the Starfield, and certainly better than the KZ DQ6, the other IEMs that I returned as soon as I got them. And I do like them better than the HD6xx although I realize that’s apples and oranges.
Wow awesome, genuinely glad you’re enjoying them so much! I returned the HD6XX because of the strong clamp force. Got myself a Hifiman Sundara, and I use those for most of my classical music listening, although the Mele is my go-to when I’m on the move or lying down.
It’s a Viola de Gamba not a cello. It is from the viol family of instruments and has 6 or 7 strings. It is much more like a guitar than a cello or violin.
Check out my favorite piece of music for Viola de Gamba:
It’s one of my favorite instruments. I’ve described it as a “dirty cello” in the sense that it’s got more resonant tones going on. It rewards good audio gear.
@hawaiibadboy@Resolution@Rikudou_Goku what are your favourite IEMs for classical music? I think Moondrop Illumination and LZ A7 were mentioned previously, but anything under 300 USD? How about the new Dunu Falcon Pro? Thanks in advance!
@howler Welcome. Yes, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev piano concertos demand good gear. I particularly enjoy the 4 Rachs done by Decca with London and Valentina Lisitsa.
One can argue preferences of interpretation of course, but she plays these well, imo, and the recordings have good balance. They were all recorded at Abbey Road. Here’s one. The second mvt is lovely and is on my “before bedtime” list. The 3rd is good for checking those sparkly highs. Enjoy!
You should be able to just cut and past the URL from youtube into the editing box here.
That Rach is nice. Sounds great on my HD660s. I’ll try on my Etymotics to compare.
I think that @Resolution 's preference for 1DD makes sense, as from what I understand an average DD is more likely to have better timbre than an average BA. That said, better BA-driven IEMs are ok, and they have other advantages. There definitely is a clear consensus in favor of the Oxygen and beyond that the Illumination. I’d love to be able to give either a try. I also think he’s right about how a single driver of whatever type offers an advantage over hybrids in terms of coherence. Of course, really good hybrids can do the job, but at a higher price point.
@hawaiibadboy seems to prefer a different sort of sound sig than what I favor. I think it reflects different musical tastes. I like the music he favors but focus on other genres…sort of, I dig the Allman Brothers but buy gear optimized for Bach–which probably would do a decent job with the Allman Brothers anyways. Our Hawaiian friend may or may not listen to Bach, but he’s into gear optimized for the Allman Brothers. Frankly, I appreciate the fact that he’s so explicit in his reviews about the music he listens to, for it helps me to understand his audio reviews.
If I were to compare my tastes with this, I’d say I favor bright neutral, where he leans a bit toward what I think ppl call “musical” or “fun.” So it’s not at all a surprise to me that he completely dismisses the Ety ER4SR, whereas I’d probably would like them a lot. I bet he’d prefer the HD650 over the HD600, and I’m the opposite.
(not professionally).
